What's Going On?
by powderkeg
Summary: Hermione's world is turned upside down after a night of partying just before the Yule Break of her seventh year. Not sure how this is going to end, but it's looking like a reverse harem of sorts at the moment. Rated for safety. Enjoy!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Harry Potter universe, other than perhaps some original characters and concepts if I feel like putting those in. Everything else belongs to the amazingly talented J.K. Rowling - she's just nice enough to let me use her characters and world in my personal playground.**

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Hermione groggily turned over in her sleep, or at least tried to do so. However, she was unable because the edge of the bed was much closer than she was expecting, so she moved to turn in the other direction. Yet, something unfamiliarly solid and warm was blocking her movements. Her eyes shot open and Hermione had to stifle a gasp as she realized she was lying much too close on a tiny couch to none other than Draco Malfoy. _Wha…what?!_ _What's going on? _Though her body was frozen in shock from the unexpected situation, thoughts raced unrelentingly throughout her head as she tried to recall how she had gotten there.

_First order of business…getting out of here…_Draco still slumbered serenely on as Hermione carefully extracted herself from within his unconscious embrace. She cursed quietly under her breath as she realized his hand had been resting under her shirt on her abdomen. _This is too embarrassing._ Praying that he wouldn't wake, she slowly stood once finally free of his arms and legs which had previously been wrapped around her own. After gingerly placing his arm back on the couch and being careful not to look at his bare torso, she backed away from the sofa as quickly and quietly as possible.

She leaned against the doorframe of the entryway to the stairs which led to her side of the Heads' Dormitory once she had reached it, finally feeling the remaining effects of last night's partying. The room around her spun as she made her slow, careful ascent into her bedroom where she let herself fall ungracefully onto her bed to gather her wits before continuing to the bathroom she shared with the Head Boy who lay half-naked in their common below.

Once she again trusted her motor skills, Hermione pushed herself off the bed and turned the tap in the shower, letting the water reach its heat while she brushed her teeth and stripped down to nothing. As she stepped under the spray, she immediately felt the healing effects of the warm water. But, as the fogginess leftover by the copious amounts of Firewhiskey and Butterbeer she had consumed during last night's festivities left her, the puzzle pieces in her memory began to align.

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**Author's Note: This is my first story on the site; please enjoy it! (Sorry the prologue is so short, but I have multiple chapters already written, so no worries!) Feel free to review with any comments other than flames. Compliments, story suggestions, plot questions, and constructive criticism are, however, extremely welcome.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Harry Potter universe, other than perhaps some original characters and concepts if I feel like putting those in. Everything else belongs to the amazingly talented J.K. Rowling - she's just nice enough to let me use her characters and world in my personal playground.**

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Hermione sat snugly in an arm chair by the fire in the Gryffindor House common room, reading leisurely since there were no more classes before they were able to leave Hogwarts for the Winter Holidays. Granted, she could opt for a quieter place on a Friday evening rather than settling for possibly the noisiest area of the castle, but she was keen on this decision. She had been busy with Head duties lately and hadn't seen any of her fellow Gryffindors outside of classes for almost a month. Besides, it was always a good idea to avoid the Head's common room where she might run into her co-Head, Draco Malfoy.

She had been blocking out the racket of her peers fairly successfully until Harry and Ron returned from the Quidditch pitch, where they had been practicing in the rain with their other team members. The seven were all laughing jovially as they climbed through the portrait hole and Hermione found herself unable to ignore them once her two best mates had leapt at her and attacked her with sopping wet hugs. Rather than getting angry, she let out a loud chuckle at their exuberant greetings before pulling out her wand and drying the lot of them. "Thanks, 'Mione!" Harry said once he'd inspected his now dry robes.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever, Hermy," Ron said, wrapping his girlfriend in a one-armed bear hug, while using the nickname he knew she hated. Hermione cringed disapprovingly but hugged him back nonetheless before settling into her armchair with her book again, feeling slightly deflated. _I wish he wouldn't call me that. I swear to Merlin he does it just to upset me._

"You boys should get changed. Dinner is in only half an hour, you know?" she stated matter-of-factly, trying to ignore her boyfriend's inconsideration. Focusing her attention on her book once more, Hermione did not notice the knowing glances passed between her friends before they exited to their dormitory for showers. Time passed quickly and Hermione's mind was again being torn away from her book, but this time by the youngest Weasley. Ginny was staring at Hermione with an eyebrow raised in disdain. Hermione set her book down in her lap, careful to mark her page before returning Ginny's odd expression, "Might I ask why you're staring at me as though I just insulted your mother, Gin?"

The redhead only smirked widely before turning on her heel and going back up the stairs to her dormitory, leaving Hermione baffled. However, the brunette had little time to think about the other girl's strange behaviour as Harry and Ron had finished their showers and were making their way in her direction. "Ready for dinner, 'Mione? Personally, I'm starved. Let's go!" Harry greeted her as excitedly as always, grabbing her by the arms to pull her out of the chair. She huffed jokingly and allowed her friends to steer her out of the common room, linking her through both of theirs as the trio made their way to the Great Hall.

Once seated, they immediately piled food onto their plates, engaging warmly in the conversations on all sides. Hermione, however, was unaware of the planning going on around her. Whispers passed from ear to ear, as others sent furtive glances to the Professors' table, making sure their instructors were none the wiser. Intricate plots to sneak firewhiskey and butterbeer into the castle, as well as various sweets and drinks from the Kitchens, were being discussed discreetly enough that the Head Girl was not alerted to any such schemes. Across the hall, sixth and seventh years of all Houses were anxiously awaiting their dinner dismissal so they could start their holiday partying early.

The moment finally arrived and Hermione could not understand why her peers seemed to be buzzing so anxiously, _We still have four days until we leave school grounds for the Holidays… what's with this uproar?_ They had arrived back in the Gryffindor common room and the most studious individual in Hogwarts was prepared to spend the rest of her Friday evening curled up by the fire with a book, but her friends were having none of it. As she started to make her way over to her favorite armchair, Ron quickly snatched the book from her hands, allowing Ginny to loop her arms through one of Hermione's.

Overtaken, Hermione turned to Harry for help but he only offered her a wink before pushing her towards the Girls' Staircase to assist Ginny in dragging her up the stairs. Bewildered, she allowed the younger girl to lead her up to the sixth year dorm for Gryffindor females, but only just. Once they had arrived, she pulled her arm out of Ginny's, stood her ground and armed herself with a stern, demanding look. In Weasley fashion, however, the youngest merely smiled and hurried to her wardrobe from which she pulled out an outfit she had apparently prepared earlier. "Just change into this Hermione. We only have a little while before it starts."

Hermione held the outfit Ginny had thrown in her direction at arm's length. "First of all, Ginny, I don't even know what _it_ is you are talking about…" She raised an eyebrow at her friend before turning the outfit away from herself disbelievingly, "Secondly, how in Merlin's name do you expect me to wear _this_?" It was a low cut sleeveless top in a light cream color, and a long, sheer dark-green skirt with a long slit up one side which would expose too much leg for the brunette's comfort.

Ginny was simply shrugging out of her school robes and picking out an outfit for herself, chuckling at Hermione's questions. "Oh, come on, 'Mione. It's the last weekend before holidays… there's a party, of course! And it's going to be an Inter-House party, at that." She winked meaningfully before sashaying into her dorm's adjoining bathroom to change. Before closing the door, she called back to the seventh year, "I picked out shoes and accessories for you, too. They're hanging on the door of my wardrobe. Hurry up and change, I want to get there before the crowd to scout out potentials!"

_Po…ten…tials…?_ Hermione mouthed soundlessly as Ginny shut the bathroom door quickly to halt anymore of the Head Girl's further protests. Defeated, Hermione cast a locking charm on the dormitory door before stepping out of her school robes and into the outfit the youngest Weasley had picked for her. She even gave in and strapped the 2 inch cream peek-a-boo heels to her feet and clasped the tiered pearl necklace around her neck before the redhead exited the bathroom, clad in her own short navy blue dress, complete with silver heels and matching jewelry.

"I knew that outfit would look great on you, 'Mione," she stated as she appraised her handiwork. "But, we've definitely got to charm your hair before we head down. Come 'ere."

After fighting with the brown mass of tangles atop her head for a full fifteen minutes, the pair of witches were able to tame it into sleek, straight locks, almost to the point to which she did not look like herself any longer. "Perfect," Ginny shouted elatedly once they had finished, again admiring her work. "Now, let's head down. I'm sure the guys are waiting for us," the Weasley girl once again strung her arm through her older friend's and pulled her energetically down the Girls' Staircase and into the common room, into which all of the other sixth and seventh year Gryffindors were pouring, also excited and prepared to head to the pre-holiday bash.

The excitement was vibrating in the air almost visibly over the groups' heads as they stealthily made their ways through the castle halls and to the Room of Requirement. Harry, Ron, and Ginny had to practically subdue and drag the protesting Head Girl to the festivities as realization of the rules being broken were dawning on her one by one. Before she could break free of their grasps, however, she was being thrown through the threshold of the Room of Requirement and into an already raging party.

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**Author's Note: Updates will be fairly speedy at first. I'm still trying to decide whether I'm going to add the next chapter tomorrow or later (reviews with your opinions on the matter would be appreciated). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry for the short length. They get progressively longer; so far at least. Anyway, as I said before, constructive criticism, suggestions, questions and any other positive reviews are welcome - just no flames, please. Thanks!**

**Also, I know this story idea/plot isn't completely original, but it just wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote something on it. Also, this chapter was just further setting up everything that's happening. Forgive me if it is boring or poor quality, please.  
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	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Harry Potter universe, other than perhaps some original characters and concepts if I feel like putting those in. Everything else belongs to the amazingly talented J.K. Rowling - she's just nice enough to let me use her characters and world in my personal playground.

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**The lights were neon and blacklit, there were strobes and music was playing loudly over the Wizarding Wireless. There was an area in the middle of the room where students were already dancing, rather unconventionally in Hermione's opinion, and along the walls were chairs, food, and tables placed intermittently. The Head Girl tried to make her way into a corner and away from the mass of people both in front of and behind her, but felt her herself being dragged toward the throng of gyrating students on the dance floor. She looked to the culprit and found only a widely grinning Harry who leaned close to her ear so that she could hear him as he whispered in explanation, "Ginny and Ron went to fetch drinks; it's going to get hot in here tonight. In the meantime, let's dance."

Hermione stared back at her best friend incredulously as he moved them into the middle of everyone and began moving along to the beat. "Harry, I don't dance. You know that." She tried to sidle away from the famous Potter, but was blocked on all sides by a wall of bodies. Even in heels she wasn't tall enough or large enough to successfully make a path for herself, a reason for which she was even more envious of the more curvaceous, model-esque girls like Ginny.

Harry snickered at her attempts to try and get away and grabbed her hand to twirl her underneath his arm, a move to which she reluctantly obliged, "Then, 'Mione, there's no time like the present to try." Hermione felt a light blush creep across her cheeks and a small tickle in her belly at feeling Harry's almost flirtatious whispers on her ear again, but she dismissed it and moved away from him quickly when she saw Ron and Ginny approaching them with drinks for the four in their hands.

The Weasleys passed a drink each to the two seventh year Gryffindors in the middle of the dancers, and Hermione had never felt so relieved. In an attempt to avoid Harry's gaze even further, she took the glass from Ron and began gulping it down as quickly as possible, not noticing the burn until half of it had been consumed already. Sputtering in surprise and doing her best not to spew the liquid all over her friends, who were now laughing heartily at her expense, she turned wide-eyed to the three. "What is _this_? I was expecting water!"

Ron, who was nearest now, patted her amusedly on the back as he wiped tears out of his eyes and caught his breath before answering carelessly, "'Hermy, darling, you just tried your first Firewhiskey. Congratulations!" At this comment, the three broke out into boisterous laughter once more, but Hermione just stared in shock at her friends before storming out of the crowd of dancers and furiously threw herself into one of the chairs lining the far wall. Angrily, she took another gulp from her cup before realizing what it contained again, after which she set it harshly onto the table nearest her and stared at it as though it had severely wounded her.

"Enjoying the party, Granger?" she heard a cold voice drawl from her left as a long muscular arm was flung over the back of her chair. She turned to see Draco Malfoy leaning surprisingly close to her, but realized instantly he was doing so only to grab some food from the table next to which she sat. Her eyes narrowed nonetheless, as she was in no mood to entertain him that evening.

"Bugger off, Malfoy. Can't you see I'm busy?" she scoffed curtly in his direction, looking down her nose at him before grabbing her glass and taking a swig once more. Hermione resisted the urge to hex herself silly for having made the mistake of doing so again and instead opted to set the glass down before crossing her arms and turning her wrath on the Slytherin who was still next to her. "Didn't I tell you to leave?"

The Head Boy deftly avoided her last question, and instead inspected the glass from which she had just tasted. "Oi, Granger's being brave; drinking Firewhiskey. Lightweights like you should probably stick to Butterbeer, you know?" he stated matter-of-factly with a smirk before leaning back into his own seat, finally having poured himself a glass of punch.

"Of course you would know how a lightweight must behave," she sneered derisively back at him before standing and drinking the rest of her glass and slamming it down on the table defiantly. "I will be seeing you later, Malfoy," she hissed before sashaying off to find Harry again. She suddenly felt the urge to take him up on his offer of trying to dance.

She was leaving so furiously, however, that she didn't hear the low growl that Draco emitted from his throat behind her, impressed with her feistiness, "You will be seeing me indeed, Granger." He threw back his tumbler before jauntily standing and strutting toward the throng of dancers himself.

Hermione was in such a rush on her way to find Harry that she didn't even notice Ron, her boyfriend, grinding with two younger Ravenclaws she'd never met. Ginny, too, had found a suitable dancing partner in the older Hufflepuff Justin Finch-Fletchley. Harry was, thankfully for Hermione, only dancing in a group of classmates, allowing her to steal him for a moment. She stood on her tiptoes, a difficult task in pumps, and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to whirl around. "'Mione!" he greeted her cheerfully with a bear hug and twirled her around, placing her in the middle of the group with whom he had been dancing previously.

"Well, it's good to see you, too, Harry," she allowed the blush to tint her cheeks this time, although she knew it was not due solely the alcohol she had consumed. Instead, she realized it probably had something to do with the fact that Harry had yet to remove his hands from her waist and was now urging her to sway them to the beat.

Timidly, she allowed him to guide her movements, trying to hide the increasing crimson on her face that would give the Gryffindor drapes a run for their money. "So, I guess you're aware of why I returned, Harry." He merely raised an eyebrow at her, encouraging her to continue speaking. "Well, I thought I'd try to dance. I just might need some more Firewhiskey to help me along, though…" she admitted embarrassedly.

Harry grinned and lifted her chin so that she would look him in the eyes, "That's alright, 'Mione. We all need a little liquid courage sometimes." Under his breath he summoned a couple of tumblers for the two and handed one to her once they had arrived. "Just make sure you eat some biscuits or something before drinking anymore after this, okay?" She nodded sheepishly before taking her glass and downing it at once, returning it to Harry so he could banish it with his own.

She didn't notice his wary glance at something behind her head, but she was aware of his hands returning to her hips and pulling her much closer to him. Harry guided her arms around his own neck and led them in a dance along to the beat of a tune Hermione recognized as a popular Weird Sisters song. She could feel a flush creeping up on her cheeks once more but was surprisingly able to stifle the butterflies in her stomach. "You know, 'Mione," Harry started, leaning down to whisper in her ear again, causing her to curse in her head at the funny feeling it gave her, "now, don't be offended. But, you're better at dancing than I thought you would be."

Hermione felt him pull her nearer to himself once again; now the two were almost flush with each other, making her feel slightly elated, which in turn made her feel a little guilty. _I feel so much more comfortable with Harry than I ever have with Ron… Harry's so gentle; Ron is so rough._ _But there's nothing wrong with that! Best friends _should_ feel comfortable with each other...right?_ She averted her gaze, suddenly feeling self-conscious; afraid he could hear her thoughts.

Realizing she had been silent for a long period, she finally mumbled into his chest, "Well, I did take dance lessons in primary school, actually, but I was never any good at it. Besides, it took away too much time from my studies." This brought about a hearty chortle from Harry's mouth which caused those around them to turn and stare for a moment, bringing pink to Hermione's cheeks again. Embarrassed, she lightly hit Harry on the chest, only forcing him to chuckle more.

"Oh, 'Mione. You know I only jest," he said, guiding her off the dance floor once the song had ended with a light hand on her lower back, something she definitely took note of. But she soon forgot Harry's warm hand when she caught sight of Ron, a scene which caused her to freeze. Harry stiffened beside her, too; their jaws both dropped at the spectacle before them. Harry quickly urged Hermione in the other direction, but even on the opposite side of the room she couldn't get the picture of Ron with those girls out of her head. All the previous guilt at feeling giddily comfortable with Harry flew away; it was instead replaced by steadily increasing anger and sadness.

Harry carefully put a hand on her shoulder as she sat dejectedly in the far corner of the room, "Hermione…" But she held a hand up to stifle him; he considerately obliged and just tightened his grip on her shoulders. She picked up a biscuit from the table nearby and ate it voraciously before following it with a few others.

"Harry, I'm ready for that third drink now," she finally stated dully, looking up at him through tear-pooled eyes. He nodded understandingly and lifted his wand to cast another Summoning Charm for some more drinks. "Also," she started, causing him to turn his head to her again as her voice was obviously wavering, "I would like if you informed him that it is over." He gulped audibly but nodded and gave her shoulders another squeeze.

"Sure, Hermione," he said, handing her a drink, which she took graciously. "And, 'Mione?" he started, getting her to look at him again, her eyes filling with tears once more. "Promise me you won't let this ruin your night?" Reluctantly, she nodded her head before throwing her arms around her best friend.

"What would I do without you, Harry? You're the best friend I could have," she gave him a tight squeeze around his abdomen; he patted her head and hugged her shoulders in response with a sad smile on his face.

"Thanks, 'Mione. I try, at least. Can I get you anything else right now?" he offered before taking a sip from his tumbler. She merely shook her head but pulled her wand out, stuffing it into his coat pocket. He raised his eyebrow questioningly, but she just looked away in reply. "You want me to hang on to it for you?" She nodded. "Alright, then. Just let me know if you need it. Should I…er… talk to him now?" Hermione, even now not turning to him, nodded again before taking a long swig from her glass. Harry squeezed her hand and then released, trying to ignore the tears still welling in her eyes so he could perform the task at hand.

Numerous biscuits and three cups of punch later, Hermione found herself on the dance floor again, doing all she could to force the image of Ron entangled with two other girls on the couch against the wall out of her head. Every time she blinked though, Lavender's hand was travelling _there_ and Ron's lips were roaming _there_ and Mandy was climbing _there_.

Shaking her head furiously and blinking back tears, Hermione lifted her arms above her head and swayed her hips along to the beat, trying to enjoy herself. Just as she was picking up the rhythm once again, she felt someone bump roughly into her, almost knocking her over. However, that same person wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her upright and breathed heavily on her neck, "Sorry 'bout that." An action which sent shivers down her spine until she turned on her heel and realized who it was holding her.

"Draco Malfoy!" she shouted in astonishment. His hair was tousled; cheeks flushed, and in his other hand he held a glass filled with Firewhiskey which he was dangerously close to spilling all over her. He had either had too much, or truly was a lightweight as she had implied earlier.

In response to her cry he smirked down at her, "Oi, Granger. Where'd you come from?"

She stared at him in disbelief and tried to wrench herself out of his grasp which almost caused him to slosh the whole of his drink out of its container. She quickly grabbed the hand in which he held the glass, "Let me help you with that."

"Oh, no. This drink is mine!" He pulled his arm abruptly upward, again getting uncomfortably close to spilling its contents.

"I don't want it for myself, _Malfoy_," she sneered threateningly. "I would just prefer it if you didn't soak my outfit with alcohol this evening. Now stop being so difficult. Either you're going to drink it, or give it to me so I can keep you from giving everyone here a shower!" She yanked his hand back down, careful to put one of her tiny ones over the top of the glass to keep the liquid inside.

"Oh, sod off, Granger. Just let me dance," he growled low in his throat, trying to pull his arm up again but only succeeding in lifting her with it. "Look, you told me to drink it, so I'm going to drink it!"

For some reason, Hermione felt herself bothered by this proposition, "Haven't you had enough, Malfoy?" She pulled his hand close to her mouth and latched on to the rim of the glass with her lips, allowing herself to take a deep chug before he could react. He just stared at her wide-eyed before chuckling.

"Well, you've become quite taken with Firewhiskey, haven't you, Granger?" he said airily, appraising her.

Hermione brushed the back of her hand across her lips to relieve them of the excess moisture there, "Not likely, Malfoy. For some strange reason, I am just looking out for you." She eyed the glass, "But now that the glass is only half-full, my work here is done." She moved to remove his arm from around her waist, where his grip was still unexpectedly strong.

"Aww…where are you going now? Just when I was starting to have some fun with you, too," he leaned in and whispered above her ear, sending familiar shivers down her spine of which they both were aware.

"Look, _Malfoy_," she pushed vehemently against his forearm, trying to force it off of her. "This has been _fun_, but I am going to find Harry now. I want to dance."

But the Head Boy was having none of it, "Why go looking for Boy Wonder when I'm right here?" He asked in a sultry tone before taking a sip of his Firewhiskey then offering it to her.

She raised her eyebrow at him skeptically, "And what, pray tell, might you mean by that?" She glanced untrustingly at his glass before moving to take it in her hands.

"Nuh-uh-uh. I'll hold it," he simply stated, holding it close to her face again. Awkwardly, she put her hand over the one in which he held the tumbler and guided it to her lips before tilting it forward so she could take another swig. "And it means exactly what you think it means. I'm telling you to dance with me, of course."

"_Right_," she took another small sip. "Very funny." After finishing the rest of the drink, she let go of his hand and tried to move away again.

With a wave of his hand, he banished the glass and used his now free hand to hold her more tightly than he was able to with only one. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered heavily, "I wasn't joking, Granger. I saw you dancing before, with _Potter_. You're not too shabby, but I could teach you a few things he can't."

Eyes wide, and cheeks flushed for multiple reasons, Hermione, hands on his chest, pushed as hard as she could, "Okay. Joke's gone too far; I'm off to find Harry now. I'll see you around, Malfoy." Finally freeing herself, the Head Girl stumbled through the crowd in search of her best friend, hoping fiercely not to run into her painfully recent ex.

Deciding it might be easier to find the Boy Who Lived from the outer edges of the dance floor, Hermione roamed over to a table where she poured herself a portion of Butterbeer, deciding to make a small change. Sipping on the drink serenely, she scanned the crowd for her messy-haired friend.

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**Author's Note: Getting to the good part now, I hope. More interesting at least, I suspect. I know, I know, it's terribly cliché to have Ron do something so ridiculous like this, but I suppose this story is kind of cliché'd in other ways, too, besides, I personally never found the sense in pairing Ron and Hermione. She fits much better with someone who understands her better, like Harry, or someone of equal intelligence and force such as Draco. Alas! I digress. I do hope that you are enjoying this story and don't find it terribly boring as I fear you may. Either way, however, I'd greatly appreciate it if you were to review with your thoughts! Just, no flames, please, as those are terribly pointless. Thanks for reading; I'll do my best to update quickly, but classes begin tomorrow and I don't want to post too many chapters without having the one I'm writing now finished.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Harry Potter universe, other than perhaps some original characters and concepts if I feel like putting those in. Everything else belongs to the amazingly talented J.K. Rowling - she's just nice enough to let me use her characters and world in my personal playground.**

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The Head Girl's eyes scanned the crowed, looking for her green-eyed, raven-haired friend so that she could get back to enjoying her night. However, before finishing her drink or finding Harry so that she could dance again, Hermione unfortunately found herself joined by none other than Draco Malfoy once again. She shot him a fatal stare, "Are you following me?"

Helping himself to a handful of crackers, he gracefully set himself on a stool beside her. Ignoring her question, he instead responded, "Thought you were going to dance with Potty. Speaking of which, why not the Weasel, hmm?"

Hermione shot him the deadliest glare she could muster and slammed her tankard of Butterbeer on the table next to her, "I will not stand here and allow you to insult me and m-my f-friends." Hiding her eyes from the Slytherin Prince, the Gryffindor made to get away from the upsetting situation.

For some reason, Draco couldn't bring himself to kick her when she was down, so he grabbed her wrist and tried to make light of the situation, "Oh, I get it." He ignored the stiffening of her shoulders. "You just wanted to dance with me, didn't you? Fear not, for the opportunity has not yet passed. I just need to have some more Firewhiskey."

Hermione stared suspiciously at him; she knew she had made it glaringly obvious that her ex (though to Draco, Ron was still her boyfriend if he knew anything of it at all) was a sore subject, but he had completely ignored that fact. _Maybe he's more smashed than I realized…_she thought, and felt a maternal tug at her heart. "Share the drink with me, and I'll give you one dance. Since you seem to be so determined to have one with me." She had decided to turn the tables on him.

"As if, Granger. No girl in this room would protest to dancing with me," he bragged while using her as leverage to pull himself out of the chair, stumbling into her slightly.

Hermione helped him stand upright again before replying, "Of course. And I'm apparently not a girl, since I've protested numerous times."

He pushed her helpful hand away in an attempt to keep his pride and poured himself a large glass of Firewhiskey. "Of course you aren't; no girl can resist me." Draco took a swift swig of alcohol before passing the glass to his fellow Head. She just shook her head in exasperation before taking as big a sip as she could muster before giving the tumbler back to him. Somehow, his arrogance was more lighthearted and tolerable when he was in a drunken state. _Maybe because I'm a little tipsy, too..._ She shook her head slightly to rid herself of such thoughts, not wanting to admit that the drinks had any affect on her and focused her eyes on the boy next to her instead.

The Slytherin threw back the remaining alcohol before setting the glass down on the table and turning to her with expectant eyes, "Alright, Granger. Are we dancing or what?" He grabbed her arm and lead her gently but demandingly into the crowd of dancers without waiting for her reply. Feeling slightly off-balance due to her large intake of Firewhiskey, Hermione stumbled into Draco once they had ceased moving.

He nimbly caught her with one arm and helped her regain balance before turning her to him, "Now I'll show you what a real dance is." As the next song came on, he moved his other hand onto her hip and pulled her body almost completely flush with his. "Now, move," he growled in her ear as he guided her steps.

Feeling less inhibited in thanks to the alcohol, and not wanting to be outdone, Hermione lifted her hands into the air before running one through his tousled, platinum hair and down his neck and chest, all while slowly moving her hips against his. A small smirk crossed her features as she knew her surprise tactics had worked judging by his raised eyebrows in response, but Draco was not to be bested either. He pulled her closer and put his hands lower on her hips before gyrating against her. One hand snaked up her back and pulled her closer by her shoulder as he swayed their bodies further.

Before Hermione could make another counterattack, the song ended, allowing her to escape. She pushed against him to get away which sent the two of them stumbling slightly again. To right themselves, they had no choice but to grab at the other for support. "Well, that was," she started, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, "fun...or something. But I said only one, so I'll be off now." She moved to turn on her heel, but it was at that moment she realized most of the others around her felt the same way. The room was filled with only a small trickle of people now; unfortunately for her Ron and his girl toys seemed to be some of the few remaining occupants.

But she was unable to dwell on that for long, as Harry was approaching her with Ginny and Neville in tow, stealing her attention quickly enough to prevent any new tears from forming, "Hermione! Glad I could find you again." His jubilant expression changed to a wary one as he noticed Draco whose arm was around Hermione's shoulders. Draco merely gave a small nod of acknowledgment before he summoned one last glass of Firewhiskey, casually using Hermione as a prop.

The Gryffindor Head simply rolled her eyes and shifted her weight under the much taller Slytherin, "Hello, Harry. I tried to find you again, but there were so many people. Instead I got stuck taking care of Malfoy here. Seems he's had a bit too much." At this, she grabbed the glass he was reaching to grasp and brought it to her chest, to which he protested furiously.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing there, Granger? That's my drink!" Hermione merely took a sip and rolled her eyes again for the amusement of her fellow lions, who barely stifled their laughter, before letting the Slytherin have his take of the drink.

"Well, the party's pretty much over now, 'Mione. Want to head back to the commons with us?" Harry implored, gesturing towards himself and the two behind him, still eying Draco furtively.

"I appreciate it, Harry, but I think I shall be staying in my dormitory tonight. Plus, I think I am going to need to escort a certain someone to his," she sighed, concealing that she was grateful to do so, as it was just another way for her to avoid Ron.

"Should I come with you?" Harry asked, concern etched on his flushed face. Hermione had to take note; even in a drunken state, Harry really was the best friend she could have.

She shook her head, though smiled appreciatively, "Thanks, Harry, but I can handle it. Besides, we live in the same dormitory so it just makes sense." At the disapproving look he gave her, she grabbed his hand, "Look, Harry. I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow at lunch." She struggled under Draco's weight but managed to stand on her tiptoes so she could kiss Harry's cheek. "Goodnight, Harry."

Though he seemed reluctant to let go of her hand, he watched her cautiously but said nothing more. Instead, he watched as Draco tried in vain to get away from Hermione, but she held steadfast, and gripped his waist more tightly before dragging him toward the exit. "Malfoy, we're going in the same direction and you can't stand on your own. Just let me help…" And they had crossed the threshold.

Harry stared after the odd pair and muttered, "I hope she'll be okay." Neville and Ginny gave nods of agreement before the three moved to exit as well, leaving the hopelessly drunk Ron to his own mistake.

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**Author's Note: I'm sorry this took so long to upload. I've been incredibly busy with my first week of classes for my Spring term, so it completely slipped my mind until just a moment ago. I have two more pre-written chapters after this one, so updates are probably going to slow down. I'm sorry! I hope this chapter wasn't too much of a bore. Honestly, I tried to make it longer, but I just didn't know how. And that was really the best place to stop before continuing to the next part.**

**Also, before I start writing "Chapter 6" I'd like a little input from the readers! You can either tell me in a PM or through a review, but how do you want this fic to go? Should it be Hermione/Draco? How about Hermione/Harry? Maybe a little bit of a love triangle where she's torn between the two? Or should it be a full-on harem where there are multiple others also trying to woo her? Haha, please share your thoughts if you have any, as even I'm not sure what the complete plot is for this story yet. I know, I'm a terrible author.**

**Anyway, I'd greatly appreciate any reviews you send my way! They really motivate me to keep going, along with all the alert adds, although I don't have much confidence in my abilities. You guys are the best!  
**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Harry Potter universe, other than perhaps some original characters and concepts if I feel like putting those in. Everything else belongs to the amazingly talented J.K. Rowling - she's just nice enough to let me use her characters and world in my personal playground.**

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"You can't put your arm around me like that," Draco breathed into Hermione's hair, leaning on her for support and gripping her shoulders more tightly. She adjusted them so that she could shoot a quizzical look up at him, substituting for the question 'why'. "You're turning me on," he groaned in frustration as an explanation, squeezing her closer to him again; she wasn't sure what caused him to say such inanity, but Hermione decided to chalk it up to alcohol.

"Wait, what?" she furrowed her eyebrows. "What is? You mean my arm around your waist?" She stared up at him incredulously as they stumbled throughout the castle on their way back to the Head's Dormitory. "I have to hold you there if I'm going to help you walk," she offered logically, not wanting to dwell on what he had said.

"Yeah, well, you don't need to help me walk," he spoke through gritted teeth, attempting to push her arm off him, but she held fast, still confused but smirking nonetheless at her ability to bother him without trying.

"Yes, I do. You are too inebriated, Draco, and I would rather no one catch you stumbling about the castle alone. After all, it would reflect badly on me since we are both Heads. It is my responsibility to be, well, responsible after all…" she shifted her arm beneath him, causing him to let out a low growl from within his throat; he moved his arm from her shoulder to her waist and hugged it tightly.

"You can't do that," he hissed under his breath; for some reason Hermione's stomach leapt at his reaction. They continued in silence until they had almost reached the Head's Dorm. As they passed under the golden tapestry which hid the Head's Passageway, Draco leaned in close so his breath was on her neck. "I'm going to kiss you tonight."

Avoiding his gaze in hopes he did not notice the deepening red of her cheeks, Hermione shifted her weight again and tried to continue toward the dormitory, "Um…right." The statue of Williford the Wise moved to reveal the doorway to their common room as they approached and gave the obligatory password to promote house unity. "Why would you do a thing like that?" Hermione couldn't explain the blush creeping to her face, nor the butterflies traveling between her throat and stomach.

Without an answer, after entering their Common, Draco gripped her waist more tightly so that he was now in control of their movements; he then used his other arm to pull her around to face him, pushing her close to the wall. Wide-eyed and confused Hermione tried to push him away, but did not succeed in doing so before his lips had brushed her cheekbone. "Draco! What _are_ you doing? Look, you…you just need to lie down. You have definitely had too much."

To her surprise, he allowed her to steer him to the couch in the middle of their common area and sit him down. After that, and without another glance back at him, she wobbly teetered up the stairs to her bedroom where she took her stilettos, necklace and bracelets off surprisingly without losing her balance, and let herself fall inelegantly onto her bed. Unhappily she realized she needed to change but didn't get the chance as she heard a light rap on her door.

Sighing, she stood up and opened it to reveal Draco, whose tie was loosened and button-up shirt now partially unbuttoned; a fact she couldn't help but notice. "Er…can I help you, Malfoy? I was just about to change for bed."

"I want another chance. You didn't give me a fair one."

"What? I have no idea what you mean," she stared up at him through rapidly blinking lashes, trying to decipher his meaning.

In response, he leaned closer; their noses were almost touching, "I want another chance to kiss you."

Trying not to become too flustered, Hermione leaned away from him and tried to close the door to put a barrier between them before responding coyly, "Well, sorry. I need to change for bed, and you missed the only opportunity you had. Better luck next time and goodnight."

Before he could protest further, she pushed him back with one hand and shut the door with her other, careful to lock it. Trying to get rid of the butterflies in her stomach and the spinning in her head, Hermione leaned against the back of her door for a moment to regain her wits. After feeling confident in her motor skills again, she moved to her wardrobe where she pulled out a loose long-sleeved shirt which she quickly exchanged for the low-cut top she had worn to the party.

She didn't have time to remove the sheer, flowing skirt though before she heard another almost inaudible knock. This time she didn't bother to open the door but answered anyway, "What is it now?"

His voice was strangely low and husky when he responded, "I need you, Hermione."

Her eyes widened; she was shocked to hear him say her first name. Feeling worried, but still suspicious, she quickly moved to her side of the door and warily replied, "What's wrong, Draco? Are you feeling sick?"

"Just come out. Come down to the Common with me," he urged from behind the door, his voice so low she could barely hear it.

Concern battling with the guarded feeling in her gut, Hermione slowly opened her bedroom door a crack to see Draco sitting on the top step and leaning against the wall in front of her door, eyes squeezed shut. "Malfoy!" She threw her door open the rest of the way and knelt in front of him, "Are you okay?"

He slowly lifted an arm and placed his hand in the middle of her back so he could pull her closer to him, causing her to fall onto his chest, "I much preferred it when you called me by my first name, you know?"

Confused, she lay dizzy and frozen for a moment before pushing herself back into an upright position, "Come on then, _Draco_. Let's get you downstairs. You can sleep on the couch tonight; I don't think I can manage getting you to your room. Sorry."

"S'okay," he slurred out as he wrapped his arm tighter around her shoulders to pull himself up. Awkwardly, the two tottered down the stairs and into their shared common room where a warm fire was roaring in the hearth. Hermione managed to sit Draco on the couch with great difficulty, but as she turned to return to her room, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back forcefully, causing her to fall into his lap with a loud 'eek!' "Stay," was all he said, avoiding her puzzled gaze.

"Draco, I'm tired. I would like to go to bed, please," she pleaded of him, trying to inconspicuously release her wrist from his grasp.

He turned to her, a strange flickering in his eyes, and leaned in close. His breath flitted over her face as he spoke, his voice still oddly thick and barely above a whisper, "Just stay. For a moment." Feeling a lump rise in her throat, she could only nod as she climbed off his lap to prop herself against the arm of the couch opposite him, where she opted to gaze at him skeptically. Turning away from her with an unreadable look on his face, Draco stretched out on the couch so that he was lying down, tucking his socked feet between Hermione and the back of the couch.

The petite Gryffindor moved over a little to give his feet a bit more room, and then switched her unfocused stare to the fire, not noticing the fact that her Slytherin counterpart had shifted his unblinking gaze to her. After a few moments of silence, he patted the couch beside him, "Lie down."

She turned to him with an eyebrow raised quizzically, only glancing at the area he had patted before responding coyly, "And how am I supposed to do that? There's no room."

"Here," he stated simply before turning over on his side to allow for more space. When she still did not move he sat up and tugged on her arm, convincing her to hesitantly curl into a ball next to him, her head barely even with his waist. "No, no, budge up here." He tugged on her shoulder, urging her to lay her head on his outstretched arm; she reluctantly obliged, telling herself it was just to appease the drunken boy. "There, isn't that more comfortable?"

Watching the fire closely in an attempt to ignore the fluttering in her stomach, she merely shrugged in reply. They laid in silence for a while before Draco slowly moved his arm from her shoulder in a light caress down to her waist where he began to fiddle with the hem of her shirt. Hermione tucked her head under her arm and closed her eyes, fighting the blush creeping across her face; trying to disregard his actions until he suddenly moved his hand under her shirt and delicately grazed it across her now exposed abdomen.

"Ack! Draco!" she hurriedly sat up and faced him, pushing his hand away and holding her shirt down defensively. "What are you doing? Don't touch my fat!"

He turned sluggishly to look at her and a wide grin played across his features, bordering on a smirk, "What are you talking about? You don't have any fat." She nodded her head fervently; he reached out an arm and put his hand on the back of her neck to stop her from doing so. "No, you don't. Now lie down." Apparently having reverted to childhood due to the effects of Firewhiskey, Hermione only shook her head vehemently, flinging her hair from side to side, to refuse, causing Draco to laugh.

"Come here," hand still on the back of her neck, he carefully pulled her face to his. She only realized his intentions at the last moment at which she turned her head, forcing him to plant a kiss on her cheek instead of his intended target. "Hermione… why won't you let me?" He stared up at her, looking genuinely hurt by her consistent rejection. Mesmerized by the fire reflecting in his grey eyes, Hermione didn't notice him slowly pulling her face to his again until their noses were touching. Here, he paused, his inquisitive eyes searching her confused ones before he tilted his head and slowly touched his full lips to her pouty ones. Electricity was almost tangible between them.

Hermione's eyes widened, finally understanding – alcohol had apparently frozen the wheels in her brain. She pushed against his chest to end the kiss as soon as it had begun, but Draco wanted to finish what he had started and resisted. Instead of ceasing, he used his other arm to pull her closer from her waist, causing her to collapse on top of him once again so he could continue the kiss more comfortably. When Hermione felt him move his hand to her hip and pull her nearer, she felt like the butterflies in her chest were going to explode out of it, so she did the only thing she could to end it and turned her head. Gasping for the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, Hermione swiftly moved to stand, lucky to keep her balance, "I – I'm thirsty. I think …I'll fetch some water."

A satisfied smirk crossed his face as he sat up to follow her to their dormitory's kitchenette, "I'll join you."

Hermione finished pouring herself a glass when she heard him pad into the room offset from the Common behind her so she turned to face him to avoid an ambush from behind, "Do you want an—?" She cut herself short at the sight of him; he had unbuttoned his shirt completely now and somehow he had moved directly behind her without her having taken notice. Side-stepping him quickly, her wide eyes took in his form completely, "Malfoy, why are you in a further state of undress than earlier?" Trying to play off her anxiety, she averted her eyes and held the glass out to him after having taken a sip herself as a nonverbal offering.

He nonchalantly took the glass she had offered to him and took a sip before responding, "Back to surnames, are we then, Granger? How disappointing." She wasn't sure if he sounded disappointed or amused, honestly. As he handed the glass of water back to her, he grabbed one side of his shirt, revealing chest and abs obviously toned by years of playing Quidditch, "Also, is my 'state of undress', as you put it, really such a problem? I thought you might like the view."

Scoffing into her drink, Hermione stared at him incredulously, "Are you serious?" He raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her, taking a small step forward.

"Does that mean you don't?" his signature Malfoy smirk was back as he continued toward her, arms holding his shirt wide open. Now inches away from her, he took in the pink tint of her cheeks. "Or are you just embarrassed? Never seen a man's chest before?"

Frustrated, Hermione let out a loud 'hmph!' before crossing her arms angrily, "Of course I have! My best friends are male, after all." She was proud of herself for keeping the blush off her face as she recalled numerous memories of having seen Harry's lightly sculpted muscles… Shaking her head furiously she turned her attentions back to the Head Boy in front of her. "Look, just button your shirt back. Obviously you're able to walk on your own, so maybe you should head to your room and go to bed now."

"I don't think I want to," he replied slyly, inching even closer, causing the pink of her face to fade to crimson.

Surprised by his close proximity, and trying to avoid further discomfiture, she pushed as hard as she could against his chest with both hands. She was expecting him to resist, so the amount of force she used allowed her to push him all the way across the kitchenette, and ultimately against the opposite wall. Trying to play it off as though that was her intent from the beginning, she grabbed both sides of his shirt and started buttoning from the middle.

Hermione was too busy with her intense concentration on his buttons and worrying her bottom lip with her teeth to notice the widening smirk flirting with his lips. Having particular difficulty with the third button, she pushed him harder against the wall to adjust the shirt. This time she heard the low growl he released from between his teeth as he threw his head back against the wood, unable to ignore it as he grabbed her arms roughly and pulled her close. Despite his actions, she was successfully able to fasten the top button of his shirt and looked up to him triumphantly when finished.

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**Author's Note: Alright, I have no idea if anyone is interested in this story anymore. I know it's moving slowly, but maybe you will have enjoyed this chapter a little more, for those of you still reading. It's amazing how people drop their inhibitions and logic when alcohol is involved, isn't it? I wonder what happens next with these two... hmm... Heh heh. Anyway, as always your comments are welcome as long as they don't involve flames. Sorry if you found this chapter uneventful, though maybe it's more satisfying than any previous ones. Please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**

**PS - Sorry if they seem a little out of character in some parts. I'm going to chalk it up to the alcohol in their systems, though really it might be because I've (_very loosely_) based this tale on a personal experience.  
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